prologue
Chapter 1: Sweet and sour sweets and the hidden feelings.
Chapter 2: The girl in the tower and the chestnut tea towel.
Chapter 3: Tears, determination, and sugar candy.
Afterword
prologue
It had been four months since I last rode the Shinkansen.
Even though I say it's been a long time, I rarely ride the Shinkansen.
Four months ago, I came to Kyoto from Shinashinakawa Station.
Perhaps this can now be considered the return journey, as I boarded the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Shinagawa.
To return home to Tokyo.
Sakurai Ikoharu walks down the narrow aisle, rolling a carry-on bag, holding a Shinkansen ticket in her hand.
I checked my seat number, put my luggage on the overhead rack, sat down in the window seat, and took a deep breath.
I couldn't find a feeling that was tension or depression. In one word, I would say I had a heavy heart.
I never thought going back to my parents' house would be so depressing.
Koharu took another breath and, in an attempt to change her mood, pulled out a drawstring bag from her tote bag. Inside was her lunchbox.
I received this from my grandmother, Sakurai Yoshino, who told me to eat it on the Shinkansen.
When Koharu opened the lid, it was filled with Yoshino's homemade inari sushi and sushi rolls, and they looked delicious, with a smile on her face.
There were other storage containers inside the bag, and while tilting his head, wondering "What is this?" he opened the lid and let out a "Wow" sound.
Inside was a piece of yoyokan with goldfish swimming in a clear light blue container.
A bite-sized rectangular yokan. It is light blue to evoke the image of water, with a white and brown layer at the bottom. In the center is a vibrant red goldfish.
What a beautiful piece of yokan.
It's truly a Kyoto summer treat.
Koharu stares intently at the yokan, as if admiring a work of art.
At the bottom of the pouch was a notepad with a message from his uncle, Soujiro, saying, "This is my new summer dish. Eat it on the Shinkansen."
「............」
"Beautiful handwriting," Koharu said, widening her eyes as she held the note in her hand.
Come to think of it, he must be such a skilled person to be able to make such beautiful Japanese sweets, so perhaps it's only natural that his handwriting is so beautiful.
But still, the beauty of this writing is surprising.
Koharu's uncle, Sakurai Sojiro, bears a strong resemblance to Yoshino, who was said to have been an unparalleled beauty in her youth, so the word "handsome" fits him perfectly.
Although he is in his thirties, he looks to be in his twenties.
However, contrary to his appearance, his personality is always carefree, bold, and arrogant.
At the age of 18, she ran away from home saying she wanted to become an idol, but ultimately decided that the entertainment industry wasn't for her, so she quit and trained to become a Japanese confectioner at Asa Asakusa.
